Bicycle.



W. M. C. FOSTER.

BICYCLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1914.

Patented July 4,

SHEET 2 SHEETS W. M. C. FOSTER.

BICYCLE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov; 17. 19:4.

Patented July 4, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- rllllllllll FIJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. C. FOSTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLIN IS, ASS IG1\TOR TO MEAD CYCLE 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, :A GORPORATIONOF :ILLINOIS.

BICYCLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4., 1916.

Application filed November 17,1914. Serial-No. 872,538.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be .it known that I, NVILLIAM M. 'C. F os'rmz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bicycles, of which the following is a specification.

The prii'nary-object of my invention isto provide an improved construction-of package-carryingmeans on a bicycle ,(including a motorcycle) and it is my further object to provide improved means for preventing the steering mechanism, when the bicycle is standing, from turning the front wheel, for the purposes hereinafter explained.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a .view, partly broken, showinga bicycle in side elevation provided with my improvements; F ig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a broken view ofa section on the irregular line 3-3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is an enlarged section taken on line 4, Fig. 2, toshow a spring-pressed detail; Fig. 5 is a broken view in sectional elevation,'the section beingtaken on line 5, Fig. land .enlarged, and Fig. 6 is a broken view inclevation regarded in the direction of thearrow on line 6, Fig. 1.

The bicycle proper illustrated in Fig. 1 is of well known general construction. ,The front wheel 7, however, 'isshownsmaller in diameter than the rear wheel to bring the center of gravity of the load in a packagecarrier 8 as low :as. possible. .The crown '9, from which the stem of the front fork 10 extends and is rotatably confined in the tubular head 11, is provided on its front side with a pair of hinge-knuckles 12, 12, forming bearings for a pintle rod 12 having one end headed and carrying a thumb-nut 13 on the opposite end. A ledge or platform 14 is hinged on the rod 12*, to form a sup port for the receptacle 8 and is fastened by the nut. This platform has a section of its rear edge out out and turned up to form a back 14. The package-holder, which may be a basket or other desired form of receptacle, is secured through its bottom, as by bolts, on the platform, the back 14* being' shown to be let into the rear edge of the bottom to afford supplemental means for holding the packagecarrier rigidly in place; and for supporting the latter at its forward part, props 15 are extended from opposite ends of the forward axle into pivotal en- ;gagement with ears 16 on the ends of a bar 216 fastenedtothe lower face of the-carrier-bottom. A bracket 17 is shown (Fig. 1) to extend from the handle barstem and to be releasably secured to the back of the parcel-carrier near its upper end.

By the described construction, a simple and -light,sbut strong support for the package-carrier is provided. in position to bring the center of gravityof the loadasilow as :POSSlblG :overthe front steering wheel 7;

and the support being fastened directly :to the rotatably steering mechanism, the load necessarily turns with the fork 10, in-steering, and thus always extends in the directionof ifor ward travelof the bicycle, whereby tendency to over-balance is avoided. It is desirable to -pr0videa bicycle with means for holding the steering mechanism again-st turning when the bicycle is standing. This is .particularly the case with a package-carrying bicycle, since when the rider stops to deliver-a package, leaving the bicycle standing, :as-at a :curb, propped only by the usual rear-wheel support shown at 18 in Fig. 1, the load on the front end is liable toeturn the fork 10 and with it the front wheel, overba-lancing the bicycle and causing it to fall. Moreover, whether the bicycle be equipped with package-carrying .means, or not, it is desirable, when itis left journaled on a headed nut-fastened pintlerod 19 having its bearings in knuckles 20, 20 cast on the rear face of the crown.

When a rider leaves the bicycle standing, he may turn the fork 18 from the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which it extends normally, to that shown by full lines, wherein it straddles the lower member of the bicycle-frame and thereby holds the fork 10 against turning, thus preventing turning of the front wheel and package-carrier correspondingly and resultant overbalancing and falling of the bicycle. One prong of the fork 18 is shown to terminate in a lateral pedal-extension 18 (Fig. 2) for engagement by a foot of the rider to enable him, after mounting, to lower the fork to its normal inoperative position by pressing his foot against the extension. To adapt the steering mechanism to be locked, when the rider leaves the bicycle standing, the fork 18 may be provided in the modified form indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5. This modification consists in providing the prongs of suflicient length to extend across and embrace the middle bar of the bicycle frame, and with eyes 21 in their outer-end portions, through which to pass the shackle of a padlock 22, or other suitable lockingmeans.

The spiral spring l9 confined between adjaccnt knuckles 19 and 20 (Fig. serves to yieldingly hold the fork 18 in its raised and lowered positions.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction thus specifically shown and described, and I do not intend by illustrating a single, specific or preferred embodiment of'my invention to be limited thereto; my intention being in the following claims to claim protection upon all the novelty there may be in my invention as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a bicycle, a packagecarrier support hinged on the crown of the front steeringfork to turn with the latter, a packagecarrier fastened at its bottom on said support and having its upper portion connected with the handlebars and props extending from the front-wheel axle and hinged to the bottom of said carrier.

2. In a bicycle, hinge-knuckles on the for ward side of the steering-fork crown, a package-carrier support having hingeknuckles on its rear edge, a pintle-rod passing through the crown and support knuckles for connecting said support with the crown to turn with the latter, and props extending from the front-wheel axle to engage said carrier.

In a bicycle, hinge-knuckles on the forward side of the steering-fork crown, a pack age-carrier platform, having hinge-knuckles on its rear edge, a pintle-rod passing through the crown and platform knuckles for connecting the platform with the crown to turn with the latter, a package-carrier fastened at its bottom on said support and having its upper portion connected with the handlebars, and props extending from the frontwheel axle and pivotally connected with the bottom of said carrier toward the front thereof.

4. In a bicycle, a steering-fork crown hav ing forward hinge-knuckles, a platform formed with a back and rear hingedmuckles, a pintlerod passing through the crown and platform knuckles for connecting the platform with the crown to turn with the latter, a package-carrier fastened on the platform against said back and having its upper portion connected with the handle-bars, ears depending from the bottom of said carrier, and props extending from the front-wheel axle and pivotally connected with said ears.

5. A. bicycle having its steering-fork crown provided with hingeknuckles on its forward and rear sides for hingcdly connecting with the forward knuckles, a package-carrier support to turn with the steering-fork, and with the rear knuckles a fork to adapt it to be raised on its l'iinge to straddle the bicycleframe and prevent the steering-fork from turning.

\VILLIAM M. C. FOSTER.

In presence of A. C. Fisonnu, F. M. RONDEAU.

Uopiee of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommiuioner of Patents, Washington, I). G." 

